Prosperous: Chutes & Ladders
Chapter 4

‘HE IS BRASH ANDRECKLESS.’ AMANDA COULDN’T SHAKE THAT THOUGHT AS SHE waited outside Tru’s study.‘He’s going to get us all killed. Howcould the board promote a man like that to Captain!? And on top of that, he’sactually defending that conniving,lying Silerium! We’re talking about this! I won’t have that lying bitch serveunder me.’

Tru and Jackie came around the corner together, forcingAmanda to hold her tongue a little bit longer. True swiped his hand over thebiometric pad outside the door and the door disappeared as he walked into it.

The women followed, both stopping just inside the door. Theroom looked like a study in a house rather than the captain’s chambers. In thecenter of the room was an enclosed octagonal shaped copper fireplace with Earthsky constellations tooled into the metal. Directly opposite the door was adark, cherry wood desk. It was an impressive piece of furniture and a centuriesold family heirloom. A plush suede chair was behind it, and two matchingwingback chairs sat before the desk. A small cherry wood table sat between themwith glass inset on the top. The glass was etched with a planet map of the Solsystem. Along four walls of the room were floor-to-ceiling cherry woodbookcases filled with books, mementoes, and various models – some crudely made,others perfectly constructed. The case closest to the desk was filled withphotographs. Most of the images were of the same three men, two women, and Tru.

On the left side of the desk was a wet bar and foodsequencer. Inside the glass doors of the wet bar, replicated bottles glitteredin dim light that made the liqueur look more appealing. On the far side of theroom, a dark brown suede loveseat and two matching wingback chairs made acomfortable sitting area. The coffee table and side tables in the arrangementwere made out of heavy, dark stained pine. The view port was larger than normaland curtains softened the appearance of the hard metal that encased the portwindows. Outside the ship, space traffic bustled past, and the vast expanse ofspace was a sharp reminder to the occupants that they were indeed on astarship.

“Have a seat, ladies,” Tru said.

They turned their attention back to Tru. He was sittingbehind the desk, looking at something on a terminal that hadn’t been there whenthey’d entered.

The two sat down in the wingback chairs.

“Who designed this room?” Amanda asked.

“My father was a ship architect; my mother was an interiordecorator. They designed every part of the ship, even the cargo holds.”

“I suppose the cargo hold view ports have curtains too,” shesarcastically bit.

Tru shot her a cool look. “That will be enough, Wrigley.”

Amanda looked down. She was far from having said enough, butshe didn’t want to say it in Ensign Rhoades’s presence.

“Ensign, we don’t have anything pool side or on the atrium,but how about a cozy co-ed with a port view?” Tru joked, looking up at Jackie.

She didn’t even crack a smile.

“I was joking, Ensign.”

“Oh.” She forced a flash of a smile.

“Does it bother you to see space traveling by at lightspeeds?”

“No, sir.”

“All right.” Tru leaned back. “Gracie.”

Over an intercom hidden somewhere in the room décor, theship’s computer replied, Yes?

“Put Ensign Rhoades on G deck in quarter twenty, and bunk…”Tru looked at her. “Ensign, do you like the top or bottom bunk?”

“It doesn’t matter, sir.”

“It might if you have a drooler above you,” Tru joked again,smiling this time to emphasize it.

A faint but real smile came to her lips. “It really doesn’tmatter, sir.”

“All right. Gracie, put her in bunk A.”

Correction made. Next assignment?

“Captain, we don’t have to reassign everyone,” Amandaargued, “and especially not Jackie. She doesn’t care who she bunks with.”

“We’ll address this issue in a few minutes, XO.”

“Captain—”

“Wrigley, you will hold this issue until we are in private.”

Amanda glanced at Jackie. Jackie wore a faint smirk and itmade Amanda’s blood boil.

“We have you squared away, Ensign Rhoades. I’ll try not togive you bunkmates that are too rowdy, all right?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No problem. All the sequencers work, so you can take yourmeal in the mess hall or your quarters.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed, Ensign.”

Amanda watched her leave, and as soon as the doorsolidified, she turned a burning glare on Tru. His attention was on theterminal monitor.

“Is there anything else,Captain Barnet?” Amanda growled.

“Why don’t you like Jackie?”

“What?”

“Why don’t you like Jackie, Amanda?”

“Don’t use myfirst name!”

Tru leaned on his desk, holding her gaze. “I won’t use itagain, Wrigley, and while it’s good to know my XO does have some emotion under that uniform, the question stillremains.”

“I never said I didn’t like her.”

“You did suggest she be transferred before I even met herand your actions say you don’t likeher.”

“She is a Silerium and she’s operating one of the shipsprimary functions: communications. She has no social skills. You should see howshe eats! She barely passed her etiquette and protocol classes. She reportseverything that anyone does wrong. She can’t keep a secret.”

“What secret of yours didn’t she keep?”

“It wasn’t my secret.”

“It was someone else’s secret?”

“That isn’t any of your business,” Amanda hissed.

“I could call Jackie back and ask her instead, if you’dlike.”

Amanda thinned her lips for a moment. “Someone I knew washaving a relationship with a captain.”

“What kind of a secret is that?”

“She was head of his security. A lieutenant.”

“That’s against regulations. Jackie should have reported it.”

“She found out because she walked into his quarters whilethey were having sex!”

“And she did the right thing to report it.”

“She can get past any lock just using her mind. She’s asecurity risk!”

“She’s not a security risk, she’s psychic. It’s normal forher kind.”

“She’s a Silerium!”

Tru stood, walking over to the sequencer. “Water with ice.”It started to materialize and he turned back to Amanda. “Looks like you and Iare going to be in for a long and very distrustful voyage, XO.”

“Why? Because I don’t think you should keep Jackie Rhoadeson this ship? Because she is a security risk, even if you don’t want to seeit?”

Tru picked up the glass and returned to his desk. He drank asip, watching her over the rim. Tru sat the glass down and pulled up the restof the bunk assignments before he spoke again.

“Because you have issues with Sileriums and I am halfSilerium,” Tru informed her. “If this open discrimination continues, I willhave no choice but to request your dismissal. Possibly before we leave spaceporttomorrow, at the rate you’re going.”

At first, Amanda was shocked by the threat. No one had everthreatened her like that before, they simply promoted her and requested herreassigned, but never dismissed. But then she realized Tru had just openlyadmitted to being half Silerium, which was unheard of. Laws dictated thatanyone who was half Silerium or less was considered human, but that didn’t stopdiscrimination. Why would he openly admit that to her? Was it a lie? A trickmaybe?

Tru sipped some water, and then added, “And I understandthose psychic abilities the full blooded Sileriums have, because I have a twomyself. I can usually tell when someone is lying to me. It feels lot likeindigestion, and it’s never wrong. Sometimes I have premonitions, but I have nocontrol over when they come.” Tru looked up at her. “So tell me a little aboutyourself, other than your racist.”

Amanda didn’t reply. This was no trick. He really was halfSilerium. I just openly discriminatedagainst my captain! I just put my entire career in jeopardy! Oh God, oh God, Ihave to get out of here!

“May I be excused, sir?”

“No. We have bunk arrangements to fix and you need tounderstand why you don’t put Axparh with Ga’reicht.”

Amanda forced her whirling mind to calm. She couldn’t lethim know about her problem. He would discharged for sure if he found out.Amanda wrapped her hands around the arm of the chair.

“Why can’t I bunk Axparh with Ga’reicht?” Amanda asked.

“Let’s start with what you know about the two races,Wrigley.”

She drew a breath and began telling him what she knew of thetwo races. She quickly realized why random bunk assignments would never workwith a xeno crew.

Jackie didn’t look back as she left Tru’s chambers. Sheknew Amanda was difficult and that her disorder made her hard to reason with,so she was glad to be out before a fight began. Jackie stopped at a lift andstepped on when it opened for her.

Which deck, Ensign Rhoades?Gracie asked.

“G.”

In seconds she was at the deck and walking toward herquarters.

Captain Barnet seemed kind, but so had many other captains.Then something went wrong, she ended up getting yelled at or thrown in theBrig, and then transferred. That was the story of her life.

Jackie was so wrapped up in her self-pity that she didn’trealize she walked past her quarters. She stopped short, staring at the lushvines that lined the ceiling and walls around her. Small star-shaped flowersbloomed among the vines, sparkling from the condensation that had formed ontheir delicate petals. Jackie looked both directions. The vine coveringfollowed the curving wall. Jackie followed the hall, replaceing it dead-ended atan alcove. The floor of the alcove was filled with stasis soil and lush grassgrew around a small fountain and bench. The vines grew around the edges of thealcove where they had been trained to climb the walls and across the ceiling.

“Gracie,” Jackie said.

Yes? the computer asked.

“Am I in an off limits area?”

You are not.

“Can… Can I sit here?”

Affirmative.

Jackie walked to the bench and sat down.

“Gracie.”

Yes?

“What is this area called? What is the plant growing on thewalls and ceiling?”

The plant is a Waterigal vine. Mrs. Barnet planted it threeyears after Prosperous was commissioned. The area has no title listed.

“Why was it planted?”

Jackie reached out and put her hand in the fountain. Theholographic water interacted with her hand and splashed off of it.

For Tru to have a jungle to play in.

Jackie sat back, confused by the reply. “Who’s Tru?”

Captain Barnet.

Jackie smiled, looking up at the plant growing over herhead. “She sounds like a wonderful mother.”

Tru speaks highly of his mother.

Jackie’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t realize you understoodnon-commands.”

Why wouldn’t I? I am fluent in over two thousand languages.

A half-cocked smile crept onto Jackie’s face. “Fancy that. Acomputer that listens in on private conversations. I suppose you tell thecaptain everything, too?”

If it serves in his best interest.

“Figures. You’d better watch what you listen to, Gracie. Iknow how to program UNIVAC.”

Is that a threat?

Jackie closed her eyes, quietly answering, “No, Gracie. Itwasn’t a threat. I’m sorry I said that.”

Apology accepted.

Jackie sat back against the wall, relaxing into a cool,fragrant world.